EAC alum baller James will be with Brooklyn Nets for the playoffs

Photo Courtesy NBA: Kevin Durant gives a high-five to Mike James. The EAC alum is making a name for himself on the Brooklyn Nets as the team heads into the playoffs.

Photo Courtesy NBA: Kevin Durant gives a high-five to Mike James. The EAC alum is making a name for himself on the Brooklyn Nets as the team heads into the playoffs.

By Jon Johnson

jonjohnsonnews@gmail.com

BROOKLYN – Former Eastern Arizona College hoopster Mike James signed with the Brooklyn Nets of the NBA for the rest of the season and post-season. 

James, who starred at EAC in the 2008-10 seasons, previously signed two 10-day contracts after coming over from CSKA Moscow in Russia, where he played last. Before that, James had very successful stints in Greece and Italy. 

“It’s a big ask to play on a different team in a different country, league, for a different coach, different rules, to come back here and adapt quickly into a team that has big aspirations and clearly has some superstars and a hierarchy already set,” Nets head coach Steve Nash told Brooklyn Nets beat writer Tom Dowd. “We love his talent, we love his potential, there’s been some inconsistency in his play, which is really natural, considering all those parameters I expressed. He’s still been really valuable to us, and he’s added a lot to our team. So we understand that it’s not an easy and straightforward situation to jump into and he’s done really well.” 

James has meshed well with superstars Kevin Durant, Kyrie Irving, Blake Griffin, and ASU alum James Harden. On Saturday, James was involved in one of the Nets’ plays of the year as Griffin snagged a loose ball and tossed it behind his back to Irving. Irving then fed James who was racing down the court and James bounced it off the backboard for an assist to Durant who slammed it home.

James ended the regular season with 14 points on 6-16 shooting, with 4 rebounds and 8 assists in a win over the Cleveland Cavaliers. He is averaging 7.7 points, 2.5 rebounds, and 4.2 assists in 18 minutes per game for the season.  

Brooklyn is the No. 2 seed in the East and will face the Boston Celtics versus Washington Wizards play-in game-winner.